Deodorant porous polymer and a deodorant fibrous material using the same

ABSTRACT

A deodorant porous polymer having excellent deodorant effects is provided. The deodorant porous polymer is in the shape of substantially uniform particulates or an aggregate thereof, and is obtained by the hydrolysis and polycondensation of at least one alkoxide selected from the group consisting of inorganic alkoxides and metal alkoxides through the use of a sol-gel method. Also provided is a deodorant fibrous material that includes a fibrous substrate and a deodorant porous polymer as mentioned above, which is combined with the fibrous substrate in the physically-combined state and/or the chemically-combined state.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a deodorant polymer, and more particularly, toa porous polymer having excellent deodorant effects which is obtained bythe hydrolysis and polycondensation of inorganic alkoxides and/or metalalkoxides by a sol-gel method. This invention also relates to adeodorant fibrous material obtained by combining such a deodorant porouspolymer with a fibrous substrate.

2. Description of the Prior Art

In recent years, with the improvements in the standard of living, therehave been strong demands to remove any displeasing odors in order tolive a comfortable life. For example, various deodorizers are used inorder to remove or mask an odor in places with high airtightness, suchas bathrooms, toilets, cars, and refrigerators.

Among the deodorizers, those having strong odors themselves such asperfumes or balsams are often used to mask an odor in places with highairtightness, such as toilets and cars. However, these deodorizers arelimited to specific applications because of their own strong smells. Onthe other hand, there are chemical deodorizers that deodorize bychemical decomposition of odoriferous compounds. Such deodorizersusually contain, as the main component, a substance extracted fromplants or synthetic compound, and used, for example, in a spray, forchemically decomposing a bad smell of trash or deodorizing body odor.However, these chemical deodorizers have the disadvantages of havingsmell themselves and the capability to decompose only specific odors.

Other deodorizers include absorptive deodorizers such as, active carbonand silica gel. These deodorizers are composed of porous particles inwhich odors are adsorbed, thereby achieving deodorization. Silica gelused as a moisture absorbent can also show deodorant effects. Powders ofsilica gel manufactured by a conventional method, however, have largepore sizes and the porosity (the proportion of pores to the totalvolume) is relatively small, thereby making it impossible to obtainsatisfactory deodorant effects. Even when active carbon with arelatively large deodorizing activity is used, it is impossible toobtain satisfactory deodorant effects, because the pore size is notuniform and the particle size is relatively large.

Recently, attempts have been made to give deodorant effects to fibrousmaterials such as insoles, sanitary items, and underclothes. In a methodfor producing such deodorant fibrous materials, for example, thin layersof deodorant powders are sealed into a cloth of fibrous materials.However, the product obtained by this method is bulky and cannot be usedfor underclothes and the like. A preferable method for producingdeodorant fibrous materials is to combine deodorant materials with afibrous substrate. However, active carbon which is believed to have thehighest deodorant activity has a black-colored apappearance, andtherefore, the applications of active carbon are limited. As describedabove, deodorant fibrous materials having excellent deodorant effectswhich can be readily produced are not yet obtainable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The deodorant porous polymer of this invention, which overcomes theabove-discussed and numerous other disadvantages and deficiencies of theprior art, is a porous polymer in the shape of substantially uniformparticulates or an aggregate thereof, which is obtained by thehydrolysis and polycondensation of at least one alkoxide selected fromthe group consisting of inorganic alkoxides and metal alkoxides throughthe use of a sol-gel method.

The method for producing a deodorant porous polymer of this inventioncomprises the step of hydrolyzing and polycondensing at least onealkoxide selected from the group consistng of inorganic alkoxides andmetal alkoxides by the use of catalyst for a sol-gel method so as toobtain a porous polymer in the shape of substantially uniformparticulates or an aggregate thereof.

In a preferred embodiment, the aforementioned catalyst for the sol-gelmethod is a base catalyst.

The deodorant fibrous material of this invention comprises a fibroussubstrate and a deodorant porous polymer in the shape of substantiallyuniform particulates or an aggregate thereof the porous polymer beingprepared from at least one alkoxide selected from the group consistingof inorganic alkoxides and metal alkoxides and a silane coupling agentthrough the use of a sol-gel method, and the porous polymer beingcombined with the fibrous substrate in the physically combined stateand/or the chemically-combined state.

In a preferred embodiment, the aforementioned silane coupling agent hasan epoxy group.

The method for producing a deodorant fibrous material of this inventioncomrpises the steps of preparing the composition containing at least onealkoxide selected from the gorup consisting of inorganic alkoxides andmetal alkoxides, a silane coupling agent, a catalyst for a sol-gelmethod, and a solvent, impregnating a fibrous substrate with saidcomposition in a sol state, and converting said composition into a gelstate to form a porous polymer.

In a preferred embodiment, the aforementioned catalyst for the sol-gelmethod comprises an acid catalyst and a base catalyst.

In a more preferred embodiment, the aforementioned base catalyst for thesol-gel method is a tertiary amine which is substantially insoluble inwater and soluble in organic solvents.

In a more preferred embodiment, the aforementioned silane coupling agenthas an epoxy group.

Thus, the invention described herein makes possible the objectives of(1) providing a deodorant porous polymer having excellenet deodoranteffects; (2) providing a method for readily producing such a deodorantporous polymer; (3) provoding a deodorant fibrous material in which adeodorant porous polymer having excellent deodorant effects as mentioendabove is strongly combined with a fibrous substrate; and (4) providing amethod for readily producing such a deodorant fibrous material.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The inorganic or metal alkoxides which can be used in this invention areexpressed by the general formula M(OR)m, whre M is an inorganic atom,such as Li, Na, Cu, Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, Zn, B, Al, Ga, Y, Si, Ge, Pb, P, Sb,Ta, W, La, Nd, and Ti; R is a lower alkyl containing one to four carbonatoms; and m is a valence number of M. Specific examples of thealkoxides includes Si(OC₂ H₅)₄, Al(O-iso-C₃ H₇)₃, Ti(O-iso-C₃ H₇)₄,Zr(O-n-C₃ H₇)₄, Zr(O-t-C₄ H₉)₄, Zr(O-n-C₄ H₉)₄, Ca(OC₂ H₅)₂, Fe(OC₂H₅)₃, V(O-iso-C₃ H₇)₄, Sn(O-t-C₄ H₉)₄, Li(OC₂ H₅), Be(OC₂ H₅)₃, B(OC₂H₅)₃, P(OC₂ H₅)₃, P(OCH₃)₃, Mg(OCH₃)₂, and Mg(OC₂ H₅)₂. Alkoxidescontaining two kinds of metals, such as MG[Al(iso-OC.sub. 3 H₇)₄ ]₂ andNi[Al(iso-OC₃ H₇)₄ ]₂, can also be used. Particularly, Si(OC₂ H₅)₄,Ca(OC₂ H₅) ₂, Zr(O-t-C₄ H₉)₄, Zr(O-n-C₄ H₉)₄, and Mg(OC₂ H₅)₂ arepreferred. Two or more kinds of these alkoxides can be used as amixture. Particularly, it is preferred to sue calcium alkoxide and/ormagnesium alkoxide together with other alkoxide, for example, silanealkoxide. The deodorant porous polymer of this invention can adsorb bothacid and alkali substances effectively. In cases where calcium alkoxideor magnesium alkoxide is used, acid substances are more readilyadsorbed, because the Ca- or Mg-containing portion of the porous polymerobtained acts as a Brφnsted base or a Lewis base.

The silane coupling agent used in this invention, if needed, can be anyof the well-known silane coupling agents, such as(α-glycidoxypropyl)trimethoxysilane,(α-glycidoxypropyl)-methyldiethoxysilane,β-(3,4-epoxycyclohexyl)ethyltrimethoxysilane, vinyltrimethoxysilane,vinyltrichlorosilane, vinyltris(β-methoxyethoxy)silane,vinyltriacetoxysilane, (α-methacryloxypropyl) trimethoxysilane,N-β-(N-vinylbenzylaminoethyl) α-aminopropyltrimethoxysilanehydrochloride, α-aminopropyltriethoxysilane,N-phenyl-α-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane,α-(2-aminoethyl)aminopropyltrimethoxysilane,α-(2-aminoethyl)aminopropylmethyldimethoxysilane,α-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane, α-mercaptopropylmethyldimethoxysilane,methyltrimethoxysilane, methyltriethoxysilane, hexamethyldisilazane,α-anilinopropyltrimethoxysilane, α-chloropropyltrimethoxysilane,α-chloropropylmethyldimethoxysilane, methyltrichlorosilane,dimethyldichlorosilane, trimethylchlorosilane,octadecyldimethyl[3-(trimethoxysylil)propyl]ammonium chloride, and amixture of aminosilanes.

Particularly, in cases where deodorant porous polymers are prepared,silane coupling agents containing epoxy or vinyl groups are preferred.In cases where deodorant fibrous materials are prepared, silane couplingagents containing epoxy or vinyl groups are also preferred. The amountof silane coupling agent to be used is not more than 10 parts by weight,and more preferably, about 3 parts by weight, for every 100 parts byweight of the aforementioned alkoxide. In cases where deodorant fibrousmaterials are prepared, it is desirable to use 1 to 10 parts by weightof silane coupling agent, and more preferably, about 3 parts by weightof silane coupling agent, for every 100 parts by weight of theaforementioned alkoxide. When the silane coupling agent is used in anamount of more than 10 parts by weight, the rigidity of the deodorantporous polymer obtained increases. Therefore, for example, whencombining the deodorant porous polymer with a fibrous substrate, theflexibility of the fibers is decreased. In cases where deodorant fibrousmaterials are prepared, when the amount of silane coupling agent to beadded is less than 1 part by weight, the combined strength is decreasedand the amount of deodorant porous polymer is prone to decrease. Whensilane coupling agents containing vinyl groups are used, irradiationwith electron beams is required during the production process.

In order to produce the deodorant porous polymer of this invention, anacid catalyst is used, if necessary, as a catalyst for the sol-gelmethod. As the acid catalyst, an inorganic acid such as hydrochloricacid, sulfuric acid, or nitric acid is usually used. It is possible toobtain the same effects by bubbling a hydrogen chloride gas into thereaction solution. Organic acids or their anhydrides can also be used.Examples thereof include tartaric acid, phthalic acid, maleic acid,dodecylsuccinic acid, hexahydrophthalic acid, methyl endic acid,pyromellitic acid, benzophenonetetracarboxylic acid, dichlorosuccinicacid, chlorendic acid, phthalic anhydride, maleic anhydride,dodecylsuccinic anhydride, hexahydrophthalic anhydride, methyl endicanhydride, pyromellitic dianhydride, benzophenonetetracarboxylicanhydride, dichlorosuccinic anhydride, and chlorendic anhydride. Forevery mole of the aforementioned alkoxide, 0.5 mol or less of theseacids are used. In cases where deodorant fibrous materials are prepared,0.001 mol or more of these acids, preferably 0.003-0.005 mol of theseacids, are used for every mole of the aforementioned alkoxide. If theamount of the acid is too large, the polycondensation of the alkoxidesproceeds too far and the polymer particles become too large, and thepore size of the polymer particles become large because of a high degreeof crosslinking, thereby deteriorating the deodorant effects of thepolymer particles.

The base catalyst for the sol-gel method employed in this invention canbe either an inorganic base or an organic base. Examples of theinorganic base catalyst includes potassium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide,lithium hydroxide, rubidium hydroxide, magnesium hydroxide, and ammonia.Examples of the organic base catalyst includes primary amines, secondaryamines, tertiary amines, polyamines, and complex compounds of amines,such as ethylenediamine, diethylenetriamine, ethanolamine, butylamine,triethylenetetramine, diethylaminopropylamine, N-aminoethylpiperazine,N,N-dimethylbenzylamine, tripropylamine, tributylamine, tripentylamine,tris(dimethylaminomethyl) phenol, methaphenylenediamine,diaminodiphenylmethane, diaminodiphenylsulfone, polyamide resins,dicyandiamide, boron trifluoride-monoethylamine complexes,menthanediamine, xylylenediamine, and ethylmethylimidazole.

Among the aforementioned base catalysts, a porous polymer in the shapeof particulates can be obtained by the use of ammonia, particularly anammonia gas. More preferred is a tertiary amine that is substantiallyinsoluble in water and soluble in organic solvents. Examples of thetertiary amines which can be used as a base catalyst includeN,N-dimethylbenzylamine, tripropylamine, tributylamine, andtripentylamine, with N,N-dimethylbenzylamine being particularlypreferred.

The amount of base catalyst to be used is in the range of from 0.002 to1.5 mol for every mole of the alkoxide. In cases where theaforementioned tertiary amine that is substantially insoluble in waterand soluble in organic solvents is used, the amount thereof is 0.002 molor more, and more preferably in the range of from 0.004 to 0.008 mol,for every mole of the alkoxide. In other cases, the base catalyst isusually used in an amount of from 0.1 to 1.5 mol.

As a solvent that can be used in the production of a deodorant porouspolymer, there is a mixture of water (used in hydrolysis) and an organicsolvent that can be miscible with water or an organic solvent that canbe partly dissolved in water. Examples of the organic solvents includemethanol, ethanol, butanol, propanol, pentanol, hexanol, acetone, methylethyl ketone, and formamide. The amount of water to be used is 10 mol orless, preferably 1 to 10 mol, more preferably 1 to 6 mol, and still morepreferably about 4 mol, for every mole of the alkoxide. If there is toolittle water, the hydrolysis of the alkoxide proceeds slowly and thepolycondensation is retarded. However, the hydrolysis proceeds graduallywith water present in the air, so it is not necessary to add water tothe solvent. Particularly, in cases where zirconium-containing alkoxideshaving a higher moisture absorption are used, it is not necessary to addwater. If there is too much water, the deodorant effects of thedeodorant porous polymer obtained will be decreased.

In order to produce a deodorant porous polymer according to the methodof this invention, the inorganic alkoxide and/or the metal alkoxide aremixed with a solvent. The concentration of alkoxide is preferably in therange of from 300 to 500 g/l. To this mixture, an acid catalyst for thesol-gel method is added, if needed. However, the aforementioned acidcatalyst is not necessarily added, because as the mixture is vigorouslystirred, carbonic acid is produced by incorporation of carbon dioxidepresent in the air into the mixture. With this treatment, hydrolysis issubstantially complete. Then, a base catalyst for the sol-gel method isadded to this mixture. Although this mixture is either a sol mixture oran emulsion, gelation occurs as the polycondensation reaction of thehydrolyzed product proceeds by the aid of the base catalyst. The periodof gelation can be in the range of from several seconds to hours byadjusting the amount of the base catalyst. It is also possible toproceed the reaction by mixing the alkoxide, the catalyst for thesol-gel method, and the solvent at the same time. If needed, silanecoupling agents can be added to the mixture together with the alkoxide.Particularly, in cases where the deodorant porous polymer is combinedwith a fibrous substrate, plastic substrate, or the like, the additionof silane coupling agents is preferred.

The porous polymer of this invention is prepared as follows. With theuse of the aforementioned sol mixture or emulsion (includingprecipitates), or alternatively a gel. When using a gel, a deodorantporous polymer in the shape of particulates is obtained after grindingand heating to dewater the gel. When using a sol mixture, the period ofgelation is preferably set to be about 5 hours by adjusting the pH ofthe mixture to about 6-8 and using a small amount of base catalyst. Forexample, a deodorant porous polymer in the shape of particulates isobtained by spray drying or freeze drying of the sol mixture. It is alsopossible to use a precipitation method or an evaporating decompositionmethod. In addition, the aforementioned mixture in the sol state can beformed into a film by drying and removing the solvent. The film obtainedis cut into appropriate sizes to use as a deodorant film. This film,like the aforementioned polymer in the shape of particulates, is porousand has excellent deodorant effects.

The deodorant porous polymer of this invention can be used in the shapeof particulates as mentioned above. Moreover, the deodorant porouspolymer can be combined with various kinds of films, fibrous materials,plastic materials, timbers and the like, as a substrate. In a preferredmethod for combining various materials with the deodorant porous polymerof this invention, the aforementioned mixture in the sol state isapplied to the substrate or, the substrate is impregnated with theaforementioned mixture in the sol state, followed by drying thesubstrate. For example, a deodorant fibrous material is produced asfollows:

The fibrous substrate used for the deodorant fibrous materials can bemade of natural fiber, artificial fiber, or semi-artificial fiber. Morespecifically, fibrous materials such as fabric, nonwoven fabric, thread,and paper can be used as the fibrous substrate. Alternatively, fibrousmaterials such as unspun cotton can be used as the fibrous substrate.

In order to produce a deodorant fibrous materials according to themethod of this invention, a composition containing alkoxides, a silanecoupling agent, a catalyst for the sol-gel method, and a solvent isfirst prepared as a mixture in the sol state. The concentration of thealkoxide in the mixture is preferably in the range of from 200 to 300g/l. When this mixture is left as it is, the hydrolysis of alkoxide, thepolycondensation of the hydrolyzed product, and the reaction of thehydrolyzed product with the silane coupling agent proceed, resulting ina gelation. The time until gelation is completed (i.e., gelation time)depends on the amount of water used, the amount of catalyst for thesol-gel method, and the pH of the composition. It is preferred to adjustthe pH to about 4-5 so that the gelation time becomes approximately 5hours.

Next, the fibrous substrate is impregnated with the aforementionedcomposition in the sol state. Impregnation of the fibrous substrate canbe achieved by immersing the fibrous substrate in a tank filled with thesol mixture or by spraying the sol mixture onto the fibrous substrate,followed by passing the substrate through a mangle. Preferably, thisprocess is repeated several times, thereby sufficiently impregnating thefibrous substrate with the sol mixture. When silane coupling agentscontaining vinyl groups are present in the sol mixture, the fibroussubstrate impregnated with the sol mixture is irradiated during theproduction process.

By leaving this fibrous substrate in the air, the gelation of themixture occurs to form a porous polymer, resulting in a deodorantfibrous material in which the porous polymer is combined with thefibrous substrate.

In the method of this invention, alkoxide is hydrolyzed by the aid of anacid catalyst (i.e., alkoxy groups are converted into hydroxyl groups),and the hydrolyzed alkoxides cause polycondensation with each other bythe aid of a base catalyst, thereby forming a polymer. When a silanecoupling agent is used together with alkoxides, the inorganic portion ofthe silane coupling agent is hydrolyzed (i.e., alkoxy groups areconverted into hydroxyl groups) and cause polycondensation with thehydrolyzed alkoxides. When the silane coupling agent contains epoxygroups, the cleavage of the epoxy groups occurs, and thepolycondensation reaction proceeds between the hydroxyl groups producedand the hydrolyzed alkoxides. In the method of this invention, since thecondensation reaction proceeds in a uniform solution and a small amountof catalyst is used, the polymer particles obtained (i.e., primaryparticulates) has a small particle diameter and their size is uniform.These primary particulates have fine pores of 40 to 200 angstroms andthe size of the particles is in the range of from 10 to 15 nm. As thepolycondensation proceeds, the particles combine with each other,thereby forming polymer particles with a three-dimensional structure(i.e., secondary particulates). The porosity of the polymer particles isabout 60%. The porous polymer thus formed has a uniform particlediameter and the adsorbing surface area in the pores of the polymerparticles and in the spaces formed between the particles is severaltimes larger than that of active carbon, thereby making it possible toefficiently adsorb odor substances. Therefore, the porous polymer hasexcellent deodorant effects.

The deodorant porous polymer of this invention can effectively adsorbboth acid and alkaline substances. When calcium alkoxide or magnesiumalkoxide is used, acid substances are more readily adsorbed, because theCa- or Mg-containing portion of the porous polymer obtained acts as aBrφnsted base or a Lewis base. Therefore, a substance such as isovalericacid which is particularly difficult to be adsorbed by silica gel oractive carbon can be readily adsorbed.

In the deodorant fibrous material of this invention, the fibroussubstrate is impregnated with the sol mixture and the polymer particlesas mentioned above are formed in the fibrous substrate. Therefore, thepolymer particles permeate inside of the fibrous substrate and combinestrongly with the fibrous substrate in a physically-combined state.Furthermore, protons of hydroxyl groups in the fibrous substrate aretaken away by the action of the catalyst in forming the polymer.Therefore, the polymer particles and the fibrous substrate arechemically combined with each other through an oxygen bond.Particularly, when the polymer particles are formed using a silanecoupling agent, the polymer particles readily combine with the fibroussubstrate, since the compatibility of the organic portion of the silanecoupling agent with the fibrous material is relatively high. Somefibrous materials (e.g., polyamide fibers and glass fibers) have apossibility that the fiber molecules may react to combine chemicallywith the hydrolyzed alkoxides, the silane coupling agent, and thecleaved epoxy groups. Since the porous polymer is strongly combined withthe fibrous substrate in the physically-combined state and/or thechemically-combined state, the deodorant fibrous material of thisinvention has no tendency for the porous polymer to drop. In addition,the softness and flexibility of the fibrous substrate is notsubstantially affected. Furthermore, since the porous polymer iscolorless, it is possible to give deodorant effects without affectingthe color and pattern of the fibrous substrate.

As described above, the deodorant porous polymer of this invention hasexcellent deodorant effects and can be readily prepared by the sol-gelmethod. In addition, the deodorant fibrous material obtained bycombining this deodorant porous polymer with a fibrous substrate hasexcellent deodorant effects and no tendency for the porous polymer todrop. Therefore, the deodorant fibrous material of this invention can bewidely used for deodorant products, such as curtains, carpets, carinteriors, insoles, sanitary items, and underclothes.

The invention will be further explained with reference to the followingexamples.

EXAMPLE 1

The components shown in Table 1, except N,N -dimethylbenzylamine, weremixed with stirring, thereby obtaining a suspension of ethylsilicate.N,N-dimethylbenzylamine was added to this suspension with stirring.

                  TABLE 1                                                         ______________________________________                                        Components         Amount (wt %)                                              ______________________________________                                        Ethylsilicate      42.28                                                      Ethanol            39.29                                                      Water              14.61                                                      N,N-dimethylbenzylamine                                                                           3.82                                                      ______________________________________                                    

By leaving the reaction mixture for 2 hours, porous monodisperseparticulates were produced and these particulates gathered to form aprecipitate. The precipitate was filtered and dewatered, therebyobtaining a porous polymer in the shape of particulates. Theparticulates thus obtained have an average particle diameter of 200 nmand are porous particles having pores with a diameter of approximately200 angstroms.

The porous polymer was examined for deodorant effects on trimethylamine,ammonia, and isovaleric acid. The results are shown in Table 4, togetherwith the results obtained in Examples 2 to 4, and Comparative Example 1.

Deodorant Test Using Trimethylamine

First, 20 g of the deodorant porous polymer is placed in an airtightcontainer of 350 ml, and 1 ml of 1.5% aqueous trimethylamine solution isadded thereto. The container is made airtight and left for 1 hour. Then,1 ml of gas in the airtight container is taken out and subjected to agas chromatography analysis, by which the peak area corresponding totrimethylamine is determined.

The same procedure is repeated, as a control, except that the deodorantporous polymer is not used. The peak area corresponding totrimethylamine obtained in this procedure is taken as 100% and the peakarea corresponding to trimethylamine obtained by using theaforementioned deodorant porous polymer is calculated. The rate of peakarea decrease is determined as the rate of trimethylamine adsorptionwith respect to the test polymer.

Deodorant Test Using Ammonia

First, 20 g of the deodorant porous polymer is placed in an airtightcontainer of 350 ml, 1 ml of 0.5% aqueous ammonia solution is addedthereto. The container is made airtight and left for 1 hour. Then, 10 mlof gas in the airtight container is taken out and bubbled into 10 ml ofaqueous boric acid solution so as to be absorbed thereby. The absorbanceat 630 nm is measured by an indophenol method to determine the amount ofammonia in the solution.

The same procedure is repeated, as a control, except that the deodorantporous polymer is not used. The amount of ammonia obtained in thisprocedure is taken as 100% and the percentage of the ammoniaconcentration obtained by using the aforementioned deodorant porouspolymer is calculated. The rate of ammonia concentration decrease isdetermined as the rate of ammonia adsorption with respect to the testpolymer.

Deodorant Test Using Isovaleric Acid

First, 20 g of the deodorant porous polymer is placed in an airtightcontainer of 350 ml, and 51 of isovaleric acid is added thereto. Thecontainer is made airtight and left for 1 hour in a thermostat at 50° C.Then, 1 μl of gas in the airtight container is taken out and subjectedto a gas chromatography analysis, by which the peak area correspondingto isovaleric acid is determined.

The same procedure is repeated, as a control, except that the deodorantporous polymer is not used. The peak area corresponding to isovalericacid obtained in this procedure is taken as 100% and the correspondingto isovaleric acid obtained by using the aforementioned deodorant porouspolymer is calculated. The rate of peak area decrease is determined asthe rate of isovaleric acid adsorption with respect to the test polymer.

EXAMPLE 2

The same procedure was repeated as in Example 1, except that aqueousammonia solution (28%) was used instead of N,N-dimethylbenzylamine. Theporous polymer in the shape of particulates similar to that obtained inExample 1 was obtained.

EXAMPLE 3

Among the components shown in Table 2, ethylsilicate and ethanol wasmixed. The amount of water shown in Table 2 was added dropwise to thesolution, while adjusting the rate of addition so that the solution didnot become cloudy. Ammonia gas was bubbled into the mixture so that theamount of ammonia shown in Table 2 was added thereto. The mixture wassprayed on a plastic film as liquid drops of approximately 10 to 20 nmby the use of a spray. The film was dried while heating to about 30°-70°C., so that the fine powders (porous polymer) remained on the film.These porous polymer particulates have a similar structure to that ofthe porous polymer particulates obtained in Example 1. The particulateswere collected and evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1. Theresults of the deodorant tests are shown in Table 4.

                  TABLE 2                                                         ______________________________________                                        Components    Amount (wt %)                                                   ______________________________________                                        Ethylsilicate 42.28                                                           Ethanol       40.01                                                           Water         14.61                                                           Ammonia        3.10                                                           ______________________________________                                    

EXAMPLE 4

The components shown in Table 3, except N,N-dimethylbenzylamine, weremixed with stirring, thereby obtaining a suspension containingethylsilicate and calcium methoxide. N,N-dimethylbenzylamine was addedto the suspension with stirring, and the gelation of the mixtureoccurred in about 10 minutes.

                  TABLE 3                                                         ______________________________________                                        Components            Amount (wt %)                                           ______________________________________                                        Ethylsilicate         42.28                                                   Ethanol               37.91                                                   2N hydrochloric acid  0.17.sup.a)                                             Water                 14.61                                                   Calcium methoxide     1.21                                                    Ethanol solution of   3.82                                                    N,N-dimethylbenzylamine (3.2 wt %)                                            ______________________________________                                         .sup.a) In terms of the amount of HCl                                    

The mixture in the soft-gel state was ground and dried, therebyobtaining powders having an average particle diameter of 1.85 μm. Thedeodorant effects were evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1. Theresults are shown in Table 4.

COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE 1

The same procedure was repeated as in Example 1, except that activecarbon was used instead of the deodorant porous polymer. The results ofthe deodorant tests are shown in Table 4.

                  TABLE 4                                                         ______________________________________                                                 Rate of odor substance adsorption (%)                                Example No.                                                                            Trimethylamine                                                                             Ammonia   Isovaleric acid                               ______________________________________                                        Example 1                                                                              99.9         98.8      90.8                                          Example 2                                                                              99.9         96.4      92.3                                          Example 3                                                                              99.9         99.6      89.4                                          Example 4                                                                              99.9         98.7      96.5                                          Comparative                                                                             3.0         14.8      --                                            Example 1                                                                     ______________________________________                                    

EXAMPLE 5

The components shown in Table 5 were mixed with stirring, therebyobtaining a mixture in the sol state.

Next, a cuprammonium rayon cloth (62.6 g/m²) was immersed in theaforementioned mixture, followed by passing the cloth through a mangle.This process was repeated twice, thereby sufficiently impregnating themixture into the cloth. Next, this cloth was dried at 130° C. for 5minutes, thereby obtaining a cloth in which the components of theaforementioned mixture were contained at ratio of 11 g/m² (solidcontent).

                  TABLE 5                                                         ______________________________________                                        Components            Amount (wt %)                                           ______________________________________                                        Ethylsilicate         20.22                                                   Ethanol               20.22                                                   2-N hydrochloric acid 0.14                                                    Water                 6.90                                                    α-Glycydoxy propylmethoxysilane                                                               3.16                                                    (Toray Silicon SH 6040)                                                       Methanol              47.46                                                   Ethanol solution of   1.90                                                    N,N-dimethylbenzylamine (3.2 wt %)                                            ______________________________________                                    

The dried cloth was cut into 15×20 cm swatches as a test piece ofdeodorant fibrous material. This test piece was used instead of a porouspolymer, and the deodorant effects on trimethylamine, ammonia, andisovaleric acid were evaluated, in the same manner as in Example 1. Ineach test, an untreated cloth was used as a control. The results areshown in Table 6, together with the results obtained in Examples 6 and7, and Comparative Example 2.

EXAMPLE 6

The same procedure was repeated as in Example 5, except that a polyestercloth (64.2 g/m²) was used as a fibrous substrate, thereby obtaining adeodorant fibrous material in which a porous polymer was combined withthe fibrous substrate at the rate of 10 g/m² (solid content). Thedeodorant effects of the fibrous material thus obtained was evaluated.The results are shown in Table 6.

EXAMPLE 7

The same procedure was repeated as in Example 5, except that a T-cloth(138.9 g/m²) was used as a fibrous substrate, thereby obtaining adeodorant fibrous material in which a porous polymer was combined withthe fibrous substrate at the rate of 22 g/m² (solid content). Thedeodorant effects of the fibrous material thus obtained was evaluated.The results are shown in Table 6.

COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE 2

The same procedure was repeated as in Example 5, except that 150 g ofactive carbon was used instead of the deodorant fibrous material. Theresults of the deodorant tests are shown in Table 6.

                  TABLE 6                                                         ______________________________________                                        Example No.                                                                   (fibrous Rate of odor substance adsorption (%)                                material)                                                                              Trimethylamine                                                                             Ammonia   Isovaleric acid                               ______________________________________                                        Example 5                                                                              99.8         96.6      84.9                                          (cuprammonium                                                                 rayon)                                                                        Example 6                                                                              96.1         92.9      80.7                                          (polyester)                                                                   Example 7                                                                              99.1         94.8      80.5                                          (T-cloth)                                                                     Comparative                                                                             3.0         15.4      --                                            Example 2.sup.1)                                                              ______________________________________                                         .sup.1) Active carbon particles were used as a deodorant material.       

It is understood that various other modifications will be apparent toand can readily be made by those skilled in the art without departingfrom the scope and spirit of this invention. Accordingly, it is notintended that the scope of the appended hereto be limited to thedescription as set forth herein, but rather that the claims be construedas encompassing all the features of patentable novelty that reside inthe present invention, including all features that would be treated asequivalents thereof by those skilled in the art to which this inventionpertains.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for producing a deodorant fibrousmaterial which comprises a fibrous substance and a deodorant porouspolymer in the shape of substantially uniform particles or an aggregatethereof, said porous polymer being combined with said fibrous substancein at least one of the physically-combined state and chemically-combinedstates, said method comprising the steps of preparing a compositionconsisting essentially of inorganic alkoxides, a silane coupling agent,a catalyst for a sol-gel method, and a solvent;impregnating a fibroussubstrate with said composition in a sol state; and converting saidcomposition into a gel state to form a porous polymer.
 2. A methodaccording to claim 1, wherein said catalyst for the sol-gel methodcomrpises an acid catalyst and a base catalyst.
 3. A method according toclaim 2, wherein said base catalyst for the sol-gel method is a tertiaryamine which is substantially insoluble in water and soluble in organicsolvents.
 4. A method according to claim 1, wherein said silane couplingagent has an epoxy group.
 5. A method according to claim 1, wherein saidinorganic alkoxide is a metal alkoxide.